Another Reason to Get a REAL Dog
(and not some coiffured rat)

Alligator snatches up pooch in Largo park Al Clark says the reptile attacked with amazing speed as the dog ran near the shore. He was helpless to save his pet. By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer Published June 27, 2006

	FiFi, a miniature Shih Tzu, was killed by a gator Sunday.

LARGO - FiFi and Cassidy romped through Ridgecrest Park on Sunday afternoon with their owner, Al Clark.

Cassidy, a brown-and-white Shih Tzu led the way while the pup's 8-year-old mother FiFi, a black-and-white miniature Shih Tzu, trailed behind. Clark had removed their leashes when they arrived.

Around 5:30 p.m., the three made their second lap around the freshwater lake, just about 3 feet from the shore. But as they approached the pier, Clark heard a rustle behind him.

He turned to see FiFi, his 10-pound dog, in the jaws of an 8-foot alligator. Cassidy charged toward it, but Clark scooped him up just in time. They could only watch as the gator slipped back into the rippling waters and across the lake.

"I just can't describe how fast it was," Clark said Monday.

He put Cassidy in his car and ran around the lake, looking for something with which to strike the alligator.

"I decided I'd go over and meet him," said Clark, a retired Army Airborne reservist and Vietnam War veteran.

But when Clark caught another glimpse of the gator, he knew it was too big to tackle on his own.

"If I'd had a gun I would have shot him," Clark said.

FiFi guarded her owner loyally. At 7 a.m., most mornings, she woke Clark by barking and leaping onto his bed. She followed him throughout his Indian Rocks Beach home like a shadow and snuggled on his lap practically every time he sat down.

"I'm thankful for the time I had with her. I will just remember the pleasant things," he said. "I won't remember the gator."

Clark reported the incident to a park maintenance worker, Robert Redding, who got a glimpse of the alligator later that night.

Redding, who has worked at the park for 27 years, said he's seen a number of gators there, but he doesn't recall any similar incidents.

Park officials notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, calling its Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program hotline. And Floyd Campbell, district supervisor of Pinellas County Parks and Recreation, said he expected a trapper at the park sometime today.

Jeanne Murphy, a park naturalist and wildlife biologist at the Pinellas County Extension, said alligators usually eat fish, snakes, large and small birds and occasionally other alligators. But she said pet owners should beware because alligators might confuse small pets for common prey.

"I would not recommend walking small dogs or even medium-size dogs along the water's edge," Murphy said.

A sign at the park with a picture of an alligator warns "do not feed or molest."

Clark said he'll never walk Cassidy at the park again. He knows how dangerous it is now.

"It's awful. It's almost like losing a kid," said Clark, a somber expression washing over his face.

Clark also mentioned that his brother Jeremiah died on the same date two years ago of leukemia.

"Now he has a dog to play with," he said.

--Lorri Helfand can be reached at 445-4155 or lorri@sptimes.com.